Railway-crossing



E. SHEEHAN.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1919;

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- E. SHEEHAN. I RAILWAY caossme.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- E. SHEEHAN.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED WM 10, 1919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Irzyezzfoz- Wiorzzey PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD SHEEHAN, OF WEST ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING.

Application filed June 10. 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SHEEHAN, citizen of the United States, residing at .Vest Alhambra, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved railway crossing and has as its primary object to provide a construction wherein jolting, pounding and arring of rolling stock will, when passing over the crossing, be prevented.

The invention has as a further object to provide a construction wherein the wheels of rolling stock riding upon the rails of one track will cause the mechanism employed at the crossing to be automatically shifted for filling the gaps at the intersection of the other track so that a continuous tread will be provided for the wheels at the crossing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crossing employing in connection with each pair of track rails, a pair of wheel actuated levers and wherein the actuation of either pair of levers by the wheels of rolling stock upon one track will cause the other pair of levers upon the other track to be elevated into position filling the gaps between the rails of the tracks at their intersections.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a construction wherein the pairs of levers at the intersection of corresponding rails of the tracks will all be connected with a common cam member so that rolling stock traveling in either direction upon either track will properly actuate the levers for filling the gaps in the rails upon which rolling stock is moving.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a typical crossing frog and associated parts embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the frog block in detail,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cam member employed and one pair of levers in detail,

Fig. a is a perspective view showing the working ends of the other pair of levers in detail,

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the cam member,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Serial No. 303,005.

Fig. 6 is a view showing one pair of levers in lowered position with respect to the rails,

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing said pair of levers elevated to active position,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the other pair of levers in lowered position with respect to the rails, and

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the latter pair of levers elevated to active position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 have shown a typical crossing frog and associated mechanism it being deemed sufficient to describe one frog and its associated parts in detail, since a similar frog and like parts will be employed at each of the intersections of the rails of tracks crossing each other. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that I employ a preferably rectangular frog block 10 in which are formed slots 11, 12, 13 and 1d respectively. These slots are arranged in angular relation to the side faces of the block and at substantially right angles to each other. The block is further provided with slots 15 and 16 respectively intersecting each other at substantially right angles and disposed at substantially right angles to the side faces of the block Formed in the block from its lower side is a vertical cylindrical socket 17 the projected axis of which passes through the intersections of the slots 15 and 16. This socket terminates short of the upper side face of the block so that plurality of lugs 18 overhanging the socket are thus defined.

Extending from corresponding sides of the block are alined main rail sections 19 and 20 respectively and extending from opposite corresponding sides the block are intersecting main rail sections 21 and respectively. At their meeting ends these rail sections are provided with angularly -disposed terminals which are reduced to form shoulders 2% at the lower elges of aid terminals. The terminals of the rail sections land 21 engage snugly within the slot 11 abutting each other. The terminal of the rail section 20 engages snugly within one end portion of the slot 12 while the terminal of the rail section 22 engages snugly within one end portion of the slot 1- the shoulders 24 of all of these sections abutting the outer faces of the block. Paralleling the main rail sections are guard rails 25, 26, 27 and 28 respectively. These guard rails, like the main rail sections, are formed at their inner ends with angularly disposed terminals 29 reduced to provide shoulders similar to the shoulders 24 and also abutting the outerfaces of the block. The terminal of the guard rail 25 engages within the slot 14 to abut the terminal of the rail section 22. The terminal of the guard rail 26 engages within the slot 12 to abut the terminal of the main rail section 20, while the terminals of the guard rails 27 and 28 engage and abutwithin the slot 13. It will thus be seen that the main rail sections as well as the guard rails, are, without the use of fastening devices, firmly connected with the frog block while scarfed joints are provided between the block, the rail sections, and said guard rails. At their upper edges, the main rail sections and guard rails lie flush with the upper face of the block.

Removably fitted within the socket 17 of the frog block is a cylindrical cam member 30 rotatable within said socket. This cam member is shown in detailin Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings. As there illustrated, said cam member is formed at one side thereof with a substantially V-shaped cam slot 31 providing oppositely directed circumferentially inclined cam faces 32 and 33 respectively. Above this cam slot the upper end of the block is formed with a recess 34 arranged medially with respect to said cam slot and providing at its ends oppositely inclined faces 35 and 36 respectively. .Formed in the cam member in the side thereof opposite the cam slot 31 is a substantially V- shaped cam way 37 providing oppositely directed circumferentially inclined cam faces 38 and 39 respectively. At is lower end, the cam member terminates flush with the bottom face of the. frog block and may be supported by a plate or other object upon which the block is rested.

Associated with the main rail sections 19 and 20 is a pair of coacting levers 40 and 41. These levers are pivoted adjacent the outer ends thereof upon bolts or other suitable fastening devices 42 extending through the main rail sections and guard rails. The lever 40 is provided with a reduced inner terminal 43 freely received within the cam slot 31 of the cam member 30 and project ing from this terminal is a stud 44 upon which is pivoted a filler block 45 overhang ing said terminal of the lever and provided with a reduced inner terminal 46 resting within the recess 34 of the cam member. The lever 41 is provided with a reduced in nor terminal 47 received within the cam way 37 of the cam member and this terminal is preferably provided with a beveled face 48 to coact with the cam face 38 of said member. Associated with the main rail sections 21. and 22 is a second pair of coacting levers 49 and 50 respectively. These levers are freely received between said rail sections and the guard rails 26 and 28 respectively and adjacent their outer ends are pivoted upon bolts or other suitable fastening devices 51 extending through the rail. sections and guard rails. The lever 49 is provided with a reduced inner terminal 52 received within the cam slot 31 of the cam member 30 and extending laterally from this terminal is a stud 53 corresponding to the stud 44 of the lever 40 and upon which is pivoted a filler block 54 overhanging said terminal. The filler block 54 is similar to the filler block 45 and is provided with a re duced inner terminal 55 adapted to rest within the recess 34 of the cam member. The lever 50 is provided with a reduced inner terminal 56 received within the cam way 37 of the cam member and this terminal is preferably formed with a beveled face 47 to coact with the cam face 39.

Having thus described the structure of the frog and associated mechanism, 1 shall 110w proceed to explain the operation of the structure. Beginning with the position of the levers 40 and 41 shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings, it will be seen that these levers are depressed while the levers 49 and 50 are elevated to active position lying flush with the top face of the frog block 10 so that the wheels of rolling stock traveling upon the rail sections 19 and 20 will, upon reaching the slot 16 of the frog block, ride over said slot upon the filler block 54. A continuous tread surface for the wheels will thus be provided so that olting, jarring, or pounding of the wheels will be eliminated. When the levers'49 and 50 are thus elevated, it will be noted upon reference to Fig. 9, that the reduced inner terminal 52 of the lever 49 is sustained by the upper end portion of the cam face 33 of the cam member 30 whilethe filler block 54 is sustained by its reduced inner terminal 55 resting upon the upper end face of said member. Similarly,the lever 41 is sustained by its re duced' inner terminal 47 resting upon the upper end portion of the cam face 39 of the member. The filler block 54 will thus be rigidly supported to sustain the load thereon while the weight of rolling stock upon said block will not tend to actuate the cam member. When the levers 40 and 41 are depressed it will be seen that the lever 40 is sustained by its reduced inner end portion 43 resting upon the lower end portion of the cam face 32 of the cam member while the filler block 45 is sustained by its reduced inner terminal 46 resting within the recess 34 of said member. Similarly, the lever 41 is sustained by its reduced inner terminal 47 resting upon the lower end portion of the cam face 38 of the cam member. When the levers 40 and 41 are thus depressed, the

flanges of the wheels of rolling stool: upon the rail sections 19 and 20 may freely pass over said levers.

Assuming now that rolling stock is traveling upon the rail sections 21 and 22, it will be seen that the flanges of the wheels of such rolling stock will, for instance, first engage the lever 49. This lever will accordingly be depressed, as shown in Fig. 8, to act against the cam face 33 of the cam member 30 and rotate said cam member in a counter-clockwise direction. Coincidentally the terminal 55 of the filler block 54 will ride over the cam face 36 of the cam memher into the recess 34 so that the filler block will be simultaneously lowered. At the same time, the terminal 56 of the lever 50 will ride down the cam face 39 of the cam member to lowered position. Thus, upon depression of the lever 49, both of the levers as well as the filler block 54 will be lowered so that the wheels of the rolling stock may pass freely thereover. Rotation of the cam member 30 by the lever 49 will, as shown in Fig. 7, shift the cam face 32 of the cam member beneath the terminal 43 of the lever so that this lever will thus be elevated. At the same time, the cam face 35 of the cam member will be shifted beneath the terminal 46 of the filler block when said terminal will ride over such cam face onto the upper end face of the cam member into active elevated position. Coincidentally, the cam face 38 of the cam member will be shifted beneath the reduced terminal 47 of the lever 41 so that this lever will be simultaneously elevated. Thus, the wheels of the rolling stock, upon reaching the slot 15 of the frog block, will ride upon the filler block 45 over said slot. A continuous tread surface for the wheels when moving upon the rail sections 21 and 22 will consequently also be provided so that jarring, jolting or pounding of the wheels will be prevented when moving either upon the rail sections 19 and 20 or upon the rail sections 21 and J a continuous tread surface at the crossing being provided for rolling stock moving either upon one track or the other. As in the instance of the filler block 54, it will be seen that when the filler block 45 is elevated to active position, the cam member 30 will rigidly sustain the block while the weight of rolling stock thereon will not tend to ac tuate the cam member. Should the lever be first engaged by rolling stock traveling upon the rail sections 21 and 22, the reduced inner terminal 56 of this lever will act against the cam face 39 of the cam member to rotate this member and accordingly also the lever 49 and simultaneously elevate the. levers 40 and 41 as just previously described. Thus, rolling stock moving in either direction upon the rail sections 21 and 22 will cause the actuation of the cam member through either one or the other of the levers 49 and 50.

It will now be assumed that the levers 40 and 41 are elevated, as shown in 7, and that the levers 49 and 50 are depressed as shown in Fig. 8. Rolling stock traveling upon the rail sections 19 and 20 will, for instance, first engage the lever 40, depressing this lever to act against the cam face 32 and rotate the cam member in a clockwise direction. Thus, the cam face 35 will be shifted beneath the terminal 4601" the filler block 45 so that this terminal will ride into the recess 34 of the cam member and the filler block thus coincidentally will be lowered. At the same time, the terminal 47 of the lever 41 will ride down the cam face 33 of the cam member so that this lever will be simultaneously lowered. Rotation of the cam member will shift the cam face 33 beneath the terminal 52 of the lever 49 so that this lever will be elevated. Coincidentally, the cam face 36 of the cam member will be shifted beneath the reduced terminal 55 of the filler block 54 so that said terminal will ride over such cam face onto the upper end face of the cam member to support the filler block in active elevated position as previously described. Simultaneously, the cam face 39 of the cam member will be shifted beneath the terminal 56 of the lever 50 so that this lever will be elevated to active po sition as also previously described. Should the wheels of the rolling stock first engage the lever 41, this lever will be depressed to act against the cam face 38 and rotate the cam member for lowering the lever 40 and filler blocl: 45 and simultaneously elevating the levers 49 and 50 and filler block 54 to active position. Thus, provision is made for the proper actuation of the cam member by rolling stock moving in either direction upon the rail sections 19 and 20.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A railway crossing including intersecn ing pairs of alined rail sections, cam member mounted at the intersection of said pairs of rail sections, le s coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said member. to elevate the other lever, and means coacting with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active posi tion forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

2. A railway crossing including frog block, pairs of alined rail sections connected with the block and intersecting at the block, a cam member mounted upon the block at said intersection, pivoted levers coacting with t e cam member and each depressible for actuating said member to elevate the other lever, and means carried by each lever and coacting with the cam member to be elevated thereby in unison with the respective levers to active position forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection.

3. A railway crossing including a frog block, intersecting pairs of alined rail sections connected with the block, a cam member mounted upon the block at said intersection, pivoted levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said cam member to elevate the other lever to active position, and filler blocks carried by the levers and cooperating with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position forming a continuation of the tread of one pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

a. A railway crossing including a frog block, intersecting pairs of alined rail sections connected with the block, a cam member mounted upon the block at said intersection, pivoted levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said cam member to elevate the other lever, and filler blocks carried by the levers and cooperating with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

5. A railway crossing including intersect ing pairs of alined rail sections, a cam member mounted at the intersection of said pairs of rail sections, levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said member to elevate the other le ver, and means coacting with the cam memher to be selectively elevated thereby to active position resting against a fiat face of the cam member forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

6. A railway crossing including intersecting pairs of alined rail sections, a cam mem-- ber mounted at the intersection of said pairs of rail sections, levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said member to elevate the other lever, and means coacting with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position resting upon the upper end of the cam member and forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

'7. A railway crossing including a frog block provided with slots, pairs of alined rail sections engaging in said slots and intersecting' at the block, a cam member mounted upon the block at said intersection, levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said member to elevate the other lever, and filler blocks cooperating with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

8. A railway crossing including a frog block provided with a plurality of angu larly disposed slots, pairs of alined rail sections having obliquely directed terminals engaging in said slots, the pairs of rail sec tions intersecting at the block, a cam member mounted upon the block at said intersection, levers coacting with the cam member and each depressible for actuating said member to elevate the other lever, and filler blocks cooperating with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

9. A railway crossing including a frog block, intersecting pairs of alined rail sec-- tions connected with the block, the block being provided with a socket, a cam member rotatable in said socket pivoted levers coacting with the cam member and each depres sible for actuating said member to elevate the other lever, and filler blocks cooperating with the cam member to be selectively elevated thereby to active position forming a continuation of the tread of a pair of rail sections at said'intersection coincident with the elevation of the respective levers.

10. A railway crossing including a frog block, intersecting pairs f alined rail sec tions connected with the block, a cam member rotatable upon the block at said intersection and provided with a plurality of peripheral cam faces, pivoted levers each coacting with one of said cam faces and each depressible for actuating said cam member to elevate the other lever, the cam member being provided with a recess at its upper end having cam faces sloping from said recess to the upper end face of the member, and filler blocks carried by said levers and resting upon the cam member to cooperate with said last mentioned cam faces, the cam faces being shiftable beneath the blocks when the cam member is rotated whereby one of the blocks will be lowered into said recess and the other of the blocks will be raised to rest against the upper end face of the cam member in active position forming a continuation of a pair of said rail sec tions at said intersection coincident with the actuation of either lever.

11. A railway crossing including intermentioned means to be selectively elevated secting rail sections, actuating means assothereby to active position forming a conciated with each section, means coacting tinuation of the tread of a rail section at 10 with the actuating means whereby when said intersection upon the selective actuaeither of said actuating means is shifted the tion of said first mentioned means. other of said actuating means will be ele- In testimony whereof I affix my signature. vated, and means coacting with said second EDWVARD SHEEHAN. [1 s. 

